(My tribute to these fallen heroes, written on April 4, 2009)
If you believe that good exists, then you have to believe evil exists. On April 4, 2009, evil reared its ugly head in the form of a 22-year-old man, Richard Poplawski, when he killed three police officers and wounded two others. These were the first city of Pittsburgh police officers killed in 18 years. The day began early when the police officers said goodbye to their families. No one ever expected that they would not be coming home. A domestic call came in from the mother of Poplawski resulting from an argument between the two. She wanted the officers to remove her son from the home.
The shootout occurred in the Stanton Heights Neighborhood of Pittsburgh at 7:11 a.m., where Poplawski was wearing a bulletproof vest in the home, lying in wait for the officers. He shot Officer Paul Sciullo, 37, in the head, and then Officer Stephen Mayhle, 29, in the head. Officer Eric Kelly, 41, was on his way home from his night shift when he heard the call for help on his radio. He arrived at the scene to help both officers, and Officer Kelly was shot and killed. Two other police officers were injured at the scene. Poplawski was armed with a semi-automatic AK-47 style rifle and two other guns. While Poplawski silenced and destroyed the lives of those three policemen, he is alive, he is in jail, and as of yet, he hasn't been tried.
Yet, the three police officers are dead. Two leave wives and a total of five children. The other officer leaves a fiancee. All three policemen leave parents, siblings, and friends. Life will never be he same for the families. Kelly and Mayhle will never see their children grow up. They will miss out on all the important days of their lives. They will never see their grandchildren or grow old with their spouses. Sciullo will never get married; he will never have children or grandchildren. Poplawski stole those dreams away from the three officers when he killed them. In an outpouring from the city and suburbs of Pittsburgh an other areas and states a fund was set up for the three families and the total keeps growing. The city and suburbs stood as one.
Maybe the people of Pittsburgh will become gentler from this tragedy? I don't know?
Everyday men and women put on their uniforms and answer calls for help. The most dangerous calls are the domestic violence calls. One never knows what waits on the other side of the door. Usually the officer tries to help and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. When the domestic incident is over, sometimes the officer finds himself or herself in danger or on the defensive, injured or maybe dead.
We expect more from the police, from the ones who wear the blue uniforms and the badges and the guns. But there are good and bad police men and women, just like there are good and bad doctors, good and bad lawyers, good and bad teachers, good and bad people in general.
I have a soft spot for the police. My son is one and I am proud of him. I worry about him and pray for him, as does his wife. I try not to think about the dangers that he faces. But I know on April 4, 2009, he was at Stanton Heights, Police Zone 5. He also volunteered to take duty for the officers from Zone 5, so that they could attend Officer Mayhle's burial.
For whatever it is worth, I have kept Officers Kelly, Mayhle, Sciullo and their families in my prayers along with my son and all those who don the blue uniforms.
